The current edition is the fifteenth in the series. Over the years the structure of the yearbook has shifted from that of a journal to a thematic anthology. The main editorship as well as the thematic expertise for this volume has been the responsibility of the Danish Institute for Human Rights.
As the title of this volume, "Human Rights and Local/Living Law", indicates, its focus is on the various forms of local, informal and/or customary law and their interaction with human rights. The Human Rights in Development series takes its starting point in a development perspective and aims to be topical, comprehensive, and multi-disciplinary, exemplifying the "cross-fertilization" of theoretical and practical approaches. Contributions are sought from researchers and practitioners in both donor and recipient countries. To ensure an increased focus on Southern perspectives, participation in the editorial work and inclusion of authors from a broad geographical scope has been, and is continuously, sought.
The volumes published in the Human Rights in Development series, which for historical reasons still carry the word Yearbook in their title, are the result of a long-term collaboration between human rights research institutes and centres. Currently, the partners in the project include the Christian Michelsen Institute, Bergen; the Danish Institute for Human Rights, Copenhagen; the Icelandic Human Rights Centre, Reykjavik; the Ludwig Boltzman Institute of Human Rights, Vienna; the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights, Utrecht; the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, Oslo; the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Lund; and the Åbo Akademi University Institute for Human Rights, Turku/Åbo.
As in previous years, the publication is aimed at a broad audience, including government agencies, donor agencies, embassies, the press, non-governmental organisations, and the academic community.